Flip chip die are directly connected to carriers (e.g., substrates, circuit boards, and the like) via conductive bumps that are placed on the surface of the dies. In contrast to traditional wire bonding techniques, interconnection between the flip chip die and the carrier occurs via conductive bumps. In particular, the die having conductive bumps is flipped and placed face down so that conductive bumps are directly attached to the carrier, thereby forming a flip chip package or a module.
One advantage of flip chip packages is that they are typically smaller than traditional wire bonded packages with same functionality. The size can be significant for portable electronic devices, such as cellular phones, smart phones, portable MP3 players, and the like. As sizes of flip chip packages continue to decrease, improving their thermal performance becomes even more significant. In some instances, thermal performance can be improved by attaching a heat sink to the flip chip package. In many situations, however, it may not be possible to attach a heat sink to a flip chip package due to various factors, including small size of the package, limited space in an electronic device that incorporates the package, and the like.